NAB Announces Arrest Drive for Proclaimed Offenders

National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Karachi issued a list of 105 Proclaimed Offenders (POs) and absconders, and announced the drive to arrest all of them as soon as possible.

According to NAB Karachi, these POs and absconders have failed to join the proceedings conducted at various NAB courts in Karachi and Hyderabad.

NAB Karachi has written letters to the concerned authorities seeking their assistance under Section 27 of National Accountability Ordinance 1999 for arresting the accused persons and their production before the respective Accountability Courts.

Director General NAB Karachi Muhammad Altaf Bawany said that NAB Karachi has initiated campaign for arrest of Proclaimed Offenders (POs) and absconders’ at large. It also constituted teams in this regard which would take efforts for making maximum arrests of the accused.

“NAB Karachi today has issued the list of POs and Absconders with 105 accused persons who have failed to join the proceedings conducted at various Accountability Courts at Karachi and Hyderabad. The list of POs and Absconders has been revised including the names of accused persons at large as of today, containing their names, CNICs, pictures and known residential addresses.” Altaf Bawany said.

NAB DG further said that the orders of Honorable Supreme Court of Pakistan issued on July 25, 2017 are being complied with.

NAB spokesperson said that due to the non-production of various accused persons in the Accountability Courts, the trials face undue delay.

However the official figures reflect that over the period of last three years NAB Karachi has arrested 148 POs and absconders. Instructions have been issued to the special teams as well as investigating officers to gear up their efforts to arrest maximum number of such accused people at large.

NAB Karachi, deriving force from the general instructions issued by the Honorable Courts in various judgments and orders, has also taken decision to refer the lists of POs and absconders to Immigration authorities to prevent their flight from the country and to the bank authorities for blocking their banking transactions.

The anti-corruption watchdog also issued the list of the proclaimed offenders publicly as well.